Love, War and Heartbreak
by KatexW
Summary: Amelia has just lost her brother in the crowds of the air raid, but is helped my a mysterious stranger Winters . Can she put aside the heartbreak of her loss and win the heart of the man she loves. Winters O/C Nixon O/C.
1. Chapter 1

**Love, War and Heartbreak**

By Kate Wareham

**A/N: This is my first Band of Brothers fic, so please don't judge. It's a story about Winters and Nixon and one of many ways in which their life might be like outside easy company. I welcome any reviews, good or bad. Enjoy :D x**

**Disclaimer: I do not own band of brothers or any of the characters, however, I do own Amelia and her story.**

**Chapter One**

"John!" Amelia screamed as she felt the tiny hand of her younger brother slipping way into the crowds. Her heart was pounding with the sound of the bombs hitting the rooftops only a few streets away. She could see the deep, red scar of tank trap far in the distance, but she knew that it would be only too soon before she was in the thick of it. "Johnny! Where are you?" The crowds began to depart in to various shelters as she continued to call for her brother; the piercing siren growing louder and louder. Amelia ran back up the street, frantically searching every doorway that was left standing. It would be impossible to go back to her mother and sister without him, so she continued to search until she was alone with only the sound of German aircraft and gunfire in the street.

With her heart beating faster and faster like a deep, heavy thud, and tears welling up behind her eyes, she thought of how she would explain this to her family. Amelia raced back up the street to where they were separated, stumbling to the ground over a man screaming in agony. Her knees and hands cut from the shards of broken glass, scattered on the ground. Amelia looked in horror at the man lying there. He was clasping his neck tightly, which bled profusely onto the ground. His screams became quieter as he struggled to breathe. Amelia knew he would not even last another five minutes, but she could see the look of hope in his eyes. She put her long, royal blue coat around him for comfort and waited until his eyes gently closed.

Amelia stood up slowly, wiping her bloodied hands on her dress. She could feel the pain from her knees spreading down her legs to ankles like a venomous snake that was crawling around her. Looking back down at her knees, Amelia noticed that the cut was bigger than she initially thought. With blood cascading down her tired calves, she managed to run only a few feet before falling again. The crump of shells, the throb of engines, the crash of guns, and the changing note of aircraft noise as they took evasive action, the shower of metal objects that followed from the bursting of clusters of shells above was all but a minor concern to Amelia , compared to the thought of what might have happened to Johnny. The scene of his dismayed face and his anxious, blue eyes fading slowly amongst the people of Fenchurch Street played over and over again in her mind. How could she live with herself knowing that she was responsible for his safety? Not caring whether she was blown into a million tiny pieces, she sat on the wet, muddy ground, her arms cradling her legs to her chest.

Suddenly, she felt two strong hands grip her waist and drag her to her feet. Unable to speak coherently, Amelia let the stranger carry her in their arms into the nearest public Anderson shelter. "Where you trying to get yourself killed out there? You must have heard the sirens, they're loud enough!" In the dim candle light, Amelia could make out the man's face. His eyes were an icy- blue and he had a stern look as he continued to glare at her, waiting for an answer from her. He looked quite young and his hair was a walnut red- brown colour. Judging by his uniform and accent, she assumed he was an American Soldier.

"I need to go back! I've lost my brother!" Amelia screamed at the soldier, trying to pull away from his hands that were gripped tightly around her wrists.

"Are you crazy! You can't go back out there, it's too dangerous and you need to get your leg bandaged up. Stay here and wait until I find a first aid box." He walked further into the shelter, leaving her sitting on a spare bunk bed. Amelia desperately wanted to find Johnny, but she knew that it would be impossible to walk with the state that she was in.

Looking around, she could see many families huddled in groups, trying to keep warm and comfort their children. The dreary atmosphere in the shelter was worsened by the muffled sound of bombs and screaming. It was cold damp and musty, and the light was limited to only a few candles. A few people sat with their hands over their ears, while others just stared aimlessly into space, horrified by what they had seen and what they were experiencing.

"Here we are," said the soldier, sitting down next to Amelia. "We'll have this cleaned up in no time." His face had changed now that she could see him better. He looked concerned and surprisingly cheery, and his eyes turned to a clear, sparkling blue. "What's your name, he asked."

"Amelia," she replied as he gently dabbed the wet cloth on her wounds.

"Well Amelia, how on earth did you manage to do this," he asked, pointing towards her knees.

"I was looking-, "she cut off. "You haven't seen a young boy, about this height, blonde hair, blue eyes, have you?" Amelia asked, remembering how she had ended up here in the first place.

"No I haven't, sorry; there aren't many children in this shelter. Most of them went in the one further up the street.

"Ok. Thanks anyway," she replied.

"If you want, we can look for him once the sirens give us the all clear," he asked, seeing her disappointment.

"Yes, thank you. What did you say your name was?" She asked, curious of the tall handsome stranger that was helping her so kindly.

"I didn't, but its Sergeant Richard Winters, at your service." Amelia smiled, her eyes drawn towards his. The corner of his lips was turned upwards into a little smirk as stared back at her.

"Sooo... how is my leg coming along?" Amelia asked, breaking the silence.

"I'll put a bandage around it, but you must get some rest before you start running about again."

"Is that an order Sergeant?" She asked, giving him a shy smile.

"I'm afraid it is indeed" Richard replied, returning the smile.

**A/N: This chapter is really short but it is just because I would like opinions on whether I should carry on or not. Thank You xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry about the rank misunderstandings in the first chapter. That's just me being completely stupid. I have introduced a few more characters, which will hopefully liven things up. I'm not sure about this chapter, but please review and tell me what you think. Enjoy: D x **

**Disclaimer: I do not own BOB, but I do own Amelia and her story.**

**Chapter Two**

"Amelia. Amelia. Wake up." Amelia could feel a strong, but gentle hand shaking her shoulder lightly.

"The siren has just given us the all clear. You can go home now," Richard whispered into her ear. Her neck tingled at the feel of his warm breath.

"God, you sound like my mother in the morning!" However, she could listen to Richard all day she thought. Amelia couldn't forget why she didn't want to go home. She would have to tell her mother and sister, Marianne; that because of her, Johnny wouldn't be coming home tonight. Even if she did search for him, there wasn't any chance that he could have survived out there alone.

"Come on, I'll take you home. You'll need help to walk on that leg of yours," Richard said smiling. Somehow, she found his smile comforting; as though she had known him all her life. His eyes were brighter than last night, but his hair was ruffled and quite cute to be honest. He must have slept well, compared to most. He couldn't help but bring a bright smile to her face.

"Well that's better. You suit having a pretty little smile on your face." Amelia felt her cheeks burning. She hoped he wouldn't notice herself blushing, but judging by the smirk on his face, he already had.

"Here, let me help you up." Richard grabbed her left arm, putting it around his neck. This was uncomfortable, as he was considerably taller than her, but she couldn't complain. Wrapping his other arm gently around her tiny waist, he gently lifted her from the bed onto her feet.

Both of them stumbled up the narrow damp stairs, leading out to the shelter. As they opened the heavy door, they were greeted by a shorter, back haired soldier; holding an empty bottle of VAT 69.

"Well good morning Dick," he said, greeting Richard. "Ahh, so this is the pretty young lady you were talking all night about," he continued with a cheeky grin.

"Shut it Nix," Richard said discreetly, nudging the soldier in the arm. Amelia tried to hide modest smirk behind her, now unpinned, hair.

"Aren't you going to introduce us then," the soldier asked, who was shot a disapproving look from Richard.

"Amelia, this is Sergeant Lewis Nixon, my best friend and forever pain in my ass. Nix this is Amelia; I'm taking her home since her injuries are preventing her from walking properly. "

"Nice to meet you Amelia, I hope Dick hasn't been too much of a bore. You see, he hasn't had much experience in conversing with women."Nix knew he was crossing the line with Dick, and that he would pay for it later, but for the moment he was having fun.

"I have a small supply of VAT 69 at home if you would care for a drink, just to say thank you for helping me," Amelia offered. She hoped that her home would actually be there when she got back.

"It was no bother at all; you were a well behaved patient if I must say. However I must confess that I do not drink, but I'm sure that Nix here wouldn't mind a drop."

"Well, if you're offering, I can't argue. Only the finest for Mrs. Nixon's baby boy," Nix chortled, tripping over his own feet. Richard rolled his eyes in disapproval.

They continued down the street, watching families gather belongings from the pavement, children running around various bodies that were scattered on the floor and soldiers gathering up troops for the next attack. Nothing would be the same in Fenchurch Street, that's if it could be called a street now; most of the buildings were now just piles of rubble. Reaching her front door, Amelia could feel her heart in her stomach; the windows of her home were shattered everywhere, and the back of the house had been blown to pieces. She saw Marianne run towards her, her eyes filled with tears.

"Where the hell have you been!" Marianne wrapped her arms around Amelia, removing her from the grasp of Richard.

"I-I- Marianne, there's something I need to tell you," Amelia stuttered, looking longingly at Richard.

"What are you-"Marianne looked around, she knew what was going on. "Ohh dear lord, what have you done Amy! How could you do this to us! With mother gone already; I thought you could at least take care of Johnny!"

"Really it wasn't her fault," Richard butted in.

"Ohh shut up, you stupid man!" Marianne shouted. Richard stood silent, not wanting to start a fight with this obviously crazy woman.

"Hold on a minute! What has happened to mother?" Amelia asked. Tears filled her eyes. She knew what was next.

"I'm sorry Amy; she didn't make it out in time. T-t-t-h-e bombs hit the kitchen while she was making dinner." Marianne explained, pulling Amelia closer to her.

"What are we going to do?" Amelia asked, crying into Marianne's green blouse.

"I-I- guess we'll have to go into a shelter." Marianne couldn't believe that they had lost everything but each other in a matter of hours. Richard looked at Nix, who was obviously too drunk to care about what he was going to say next.

"Why don't you stay with us for a while?" Richard somehow felt that he needed to care for Amelia, as though he was responsible for her well being. He didn't want to let her go.

"What!" Nix had been listening then.

"We couldn't just intrude into your home, and you probably don't have space for us." Amelia didn't want to just leave her home and act as if nothing had happened. If she didn't have Marianne, she couldn't imagine what she would have done.

"Amelia, listen. I don't know what we will do without mother and Johnny, but you need somewhere to rest properly; we both do." Marianne was always the one who would sort things out, she was good in situations like this."

"She's right. Even if it's only for one night." Nix had finally come to his senses. Richard gave him a grateful smile for backing him up.

"Well I suppose, but just for one night." Amelia smiled gratefully at Richard, hiding the fact that her heart was sinking at the thought of the days ahead.

**A/N: Please review, I take every one into consideration.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hopefully, you will find this better than the second chapter, although I'm not a fan of it myself. Well, here it goes. Please review and enjoy xx**

**Chapter Three**

Amelia's POV

I held back the tears as Richard and Nix lead us up to the apartment where they were staying, knowing that Marianne was also doing the same, and I didn't want to be the one who broke down .

They lead us into the main room, the floor covered in empty bottles and papers.

"Well, I'm guessing the bottles are yours Nix," I said, turning round to see Nix looking longingly at the Vat 69 he had been drinking, prior to the air raid; before Johnny let go and before Mother had suddenly vanished from our lives. I felt the lump in my throat grow larger, as I repeatedly swallowed in attempt to hold back the tears that were now streaming down my face.

"You don't have to stay if you feel uncomfortable. I mean, we can tidy up in no time, can't we Nix?" Richard asked, a look of concern crossed his face. He didn't realise that it wasn't the mess I was crying about. I have to admit, it was really bad timing to start breaking down as soon as I entered the room.

"We can get through this Amy, it'll just take time." Marianne wrapped her arm around my shoulder understandingly.

"No, it's fine Richard; I can live with mess; what with living with Marianne and all." I looked up at Richard, trying to compose myself. I forced a smile but it was obvious he wasn't buying any of it. I saw Richard sigh heavily before leaving to prepare somewhere for us to sleep. Marianne left to use the bathroom; she probably needed some time to be on her own instead of caring for me. I perched on the edge of a small, leather chair, avoiding the piles of paperwork. Feeling a burning sensation in my hand, I looked down to see that I had been clutching a family photograph; so hard that the edges were cutting into the palms of my hands, adding to the previous wounds. It was the only thing I had managed to salvage from the rubble that was once our home.

"Do you want to wash up Amy?" Marianne called from the bathroom. I quickly pulled the sleeves of my cardigan over my bloody hands.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

"It might clear your head a bit." I waited until Marianne went to find Richard before going into the bathroom, hoping she wouldn't notice the blood that was now seeping through my clothes. The tap water was warm and soothing on my hands. I kept them there for a while before rinsing my face and tidying a few clips in my hair; although, there didn't seem to be much point in doing this, as it wouldn't make me feel better. Back in the main room, a drunken Nix was laid flat out on the sofa and I noticed Richard standing at the far window. He turned around, startled when he heard my footsteps.

"I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's fine. I'm not used to visitors," he explained, walking over to where I was standing. "You're sister is in the bedroom and I have put some extra blankets out in case it gets too cold through the night. A good, long sleep will do some good." He put his hand on my shoulder. A comforting smile appeared on his face. His blue eyes looked deep into my soul, understanding everything that I was feeling. It was as though he had something to hide from his past, something that hurt him deeply.

"Thank you," I blurted out, breaking the awkward silence. "I really appreciate you doing this. I mean, we hardly even know each other and yet you are willing to give me a place to sleep. I can't thank you enough for helping me last night, even though I probably screamed at you for doing so. I actually can't remember most of what happened but I..." Richard placed his finger gently on my lips, sending a tingling sensation throughout my body. I guessed that I had been rambling on as I usually do when I'm feeling awkward.

"Shhh, Amelia, you don't have to keep thanking me. I don't regret saving you, even though my eardrum is a little damaged. Now, you must get some sleep." The enchanting smirk appeared on his face that I so fondly remembered.

"Ok, I get it, I'll stop talking now. Goodnight Richard."

"Goodnight Amelia." I liked the way his accent and soft voice mad everything he said sound cute and endearing.

"Goodnight Nix," I shouted in the direction of a quilt with an arm poking out; receiving a slight groan. Smiling, I left the room.

2.30 am

_I could feel the crowds pushing, kicking, their elbows thrusting into my stomach as I tried to hold on to my dear brother. The sirens piercing my ears and screams as bombs stole the lives of women and children who tried to help those around them. Johnny's hand was slipping further away until I could no longer feel his tiny fingertips against mine._

"Johnny!" I sat up in bed, screaming so hard until my throat burned. Buds of sweat dripped down my face. A tall figure rushed into the room, wrapping their arms around me. I could tell it wasn't Marianne; it was Richard.

"Shhh, it's alright, it was only a nightmare." I cried into his shoulder as he rocked me back and forth in his arms. I heard Marianne and Nix rush to the doorway.

_( I had to change the POV for a bit)_ "Bleedin hell! I go to get some water and the world falls apart without me." Marianne tried to lighten up the situation. "Shall we do anything or just let them be alone?" Marianne whispered to Nix.

"Are you trying to set them up? Because I really don't want to be involved. I'm not the matchmaking type and I..."

"I'll buy you some Vat 69, if I find any"

"How many bottles?" Nix's face lightened up.

"Three"

"Four"

"Done then" Marianne agreed.

"Great, I'm turning into my mother. She had every single girl in our street on the list of my possible future wives." Nix complained, going back to the pit he had just crawled out from.

"A little love might do her good, take her mind off things." Marianne whispered to herself.

2.30 am (Richard's POV)

"Johnny!" The screams of Amelia echoed through every room. I quickly rushed to her room, stumbling over Nix's uniform he had left on the floor. Without thinking, I went to her side and wrapped her quivering body in my arms, trying to comfort her.

"Shhh, it's alright, it was only a nightmare." Her tears soaked my shoulder as we sat there in silence. I could feel her heart pounding against mine; her soft, delicate skin brushing against my chest. Amelia lifted her head, her eyes gazing deeply into mine.

"Please help me Richard," She whispered, her voice breaking into more tears. Her jade green eyes searched for comfort, reassurance; melting my heart. I knew exactly how she was feeling and I wanted to tell her about my past and family, but I couldn't face bringing it all up again after 15 years.

"It will be alright Amelia, the first few weeks are always the hardest. Plus you have us lot around you, especially Marianne."

"How would you know! It's not like you've just lost your family in a matter of hours!" Amelia pushed me away from her, hitting me in the chest. Before she was able to leave the room, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. Noticing her flinch when I touched her, I looked down at her hands.

"Amelia! Your hands are bleeding, pouring in fact."

"Well they were fine until you just opened the wounds again."

"I didn't mean to...Come here, I'll get them fixed up." I lead her into the bathroom and sat her down on a small wooden stool. She was still shaking slightly so i wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

"Here we are again. You cleaning wounds, me crying hysterically."

"Yes, indeed. We're making quite a habit of this."

"I didn't mean to shout at you Richard, i just lost it."

"It's alright, I understand." I felt Amelia put her hand (the clean one) on my cheek. Staring into my eyes, she gently pulled back a stand of my hair that had fallen out of place. My cheeks burned, and judging by the cute smirk on her face, she could tell. I needed urgently to pull her close again, to have her skin touching mine, to keep her safe.

**A/N: Please let me know what you think xx**


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